


Getting Warmer

by Ray_Writes



Series: Tumblr Prompts [21]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Episode Tag, Episode: s04e03 Planet of the Ood, F/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-11
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2019-03-29 17:27:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13931832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ray_Writes/pseuds/Ray_Writes
Summary: Donna and the Doctor take a bit of time to warm up after their adventure at the Oodsphere.





	Getting Warmer

**Author's Note:**

> So this was another anonymous prompt from tumblr: "Is that time with the dying Ood in the snow the first time Donna saw the Doctor use any of his actual doctor tools/skills? If so, that might be an interesting discussion missing scene waiting to be written." It might have got a bit away from me, but I'll let you tell me what you think. Thanks for reading, and enjoy!

She’d just finished arranging the blankets the way she liked them when the Doctor joined her in the library with two steaming mugs. “Here we are!” He looked at the cocoon she’d made for herself. “Donna, you can’t possibly still be that cold from the Oodsphere.”

“Oi, we were running around in that snow for quite a while. Even my socks were soaked through by the end of it.” She didn’t even want to think how cold his feet must be in those trainers.

The Doctor gave up with a sigh and passed her one of the mugs which she happily took after freeing both her arms. Holding it between her hands allowed the warmth to seep into her freezing fingers.

Donna peered at the contents of her drink. “Did you add marshmallows?”

“Who doesn’t like marshmallows?” He returned, setting his mug on the coffee table so he could drop into a spot on the couch beside her. There wasn’t much space left even with her feet tucked up underneath her, but he was skinny enough to make do with a bit of room on the end. 

“Anyway, as requested, cocoa, blankets, fireplace.” Her friend nodded to the roaring fire they were seated near, then added, “The TARDIS could probably heat the swimming pool if you asked.”

They both looked over the back of the couch at the expansive in-ground installation. “Yeah…been meaning to ask why that’s in here.”

“Why shouldn’t it be?”

Donna shrugged, then turned back around. She blew lightly on her mug of cocoa and watched him mimic her out of the corner of her eye. Then she took a tentative sip.

“Mm!” Donna licked at her lips. “That’s definitely not out of the box.”

“You think that’s how I’d treat you?” The Doctor arched an eyebrow at her, a touch affronted. “No, this recipe comes from the culinary clans of Karavaucho. Every one-hundred years, they hold an exclusive seminar to pass on their art to those few lucky enough to attend.”

“And you were one of them, I take it?” She sampled a bit more, teeth snagging a marshmallow to enjoy with it this time. “This really is good.” He’d outdone himself with this little spot of relaxing after everything they’d gone through today.

“I should hope so. I graduated top of the class. Just one of many doctorates,” he added airily with a grin.

“Is that so?” Donna rolled her eyes and took another sip. He wasn’t half smug, but there wasn’t much she could do about it in this instance as it was easily the best cup of cocoa she’d ever had. A doctorate in cocoa making, only him.

But her mug paused at her lips as a thought occurred to her.

“You said you weren’t that kind of doctor, last time,” she remarked lightly over the rim of her mug. His eyes jumped to hers. “At the reception. You told me you couldn’t help the people who were hurt because you had to look at the bigger picture. But you helped that Ood we found alone out there.”

“I’m not sure it counts as helping if the patient still dies.”

“It helped him,” she insisted.

The Doctor sat back, rubbing at his cheek with his free hand. “Well, I suppose I must’ve changed my mind. Since the reception, I mean. It’s not always the bigger picture.”

“Yeah,” she agreed softly. “Suppose we’ve both changed since then.”

“For the better, though, hey?” He looked to her with a tiny, hopeful smile.

She smiled back and nodded, looking away after a moment with a warmth flooding into her cheeks that had nothing to do with the cocoa she was drinking.  _For better or for worse_ , her own mind echoed back at her.

“Donna?”

“Hm?”

“You, uh, you do want to stay, right?”

She looked up, startled. Where had  _that_  come from – but then she recalled her words in front of the Ood’s cages, grief and pain and horror at what the humans had done to those innocent beings an unbearable combination so that she’d blurted out  _“I want to go home.”_ She hadn’t even given it another thought after that, but clearly he had.

“Oh, Spaceman.” Donna set aside her mug and reached for his arm. It was a bit of a stretch over her pile of blankets. “Of course I do.”

His eyes searched her face. “Really?”

Donna nodded. Then she glanced down at the distance between them on the couch. She shifted, then wriggled a bit, but it soon became clear her blankets were only encumbering her attempts to get nearer. With a huff, Donna shook them off and pushed them onto the floor, then scooted over to his side of the couch.

The Doctor raised both eyebrows at her approach. “Abandoning your heated haven for me?”

“Count yourself lucky, Spaceman. I wouldn’t do this for just anyone.” Donna then laid her head on his shoulder. “But I’m staying with you.”

He looked down at her, eyes gone all soft brown from the firelight. Then he set aside his own mug and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer. “I’d say definitely for the better, then.”

Despite the loss of her blankets and cocoa, in that moment Donna couldn’t even remember what cold felt like.


End file.
